Burlin Weldon Henson

Burlin “Burl” Weldon Henson passed from this life on to his eternal home December 18, 2018. He was born in McAdoo, TX on June 14, 1926 to Chelsea Hill Henson and Jessie R. Henson. Burl was second from the youngest of 11 children and known as ‘Little Son’. He grew up in Del Rio with a close knit family. His mother loved to cook. She would bake two dozen biscuits for every dinner which were rapidly consumed by his hungry family.

He joined the Navy at only 17 years old which required his parent’s signature. He served for four years on various ships in the Pacific Campaign. He received several medals but was reluctant to talk about them. He was fiercely independent; a type A workaholic personality. Burl loved to travel and strived on any challenge. He was a petroleum engineer for over 38 years at Exxon. Burl was the only engineer at Exxon to lead a group without an engineering degree. He also taught engineering classes at Exxon. When Burl retired from Exxon, he was a trouble shooter for Exxon Exploration and could be summoned to go anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. Burl lived and worked in 31 countries and took pleasure introducing his family to local communities and cultures.

One of his favorite places to be was the golf course. He especially enjoyed his golfing buddies and formed some lasting relationships. Burl loved to exercise, play the guitar and take long walks with his wife. The neighbors would say “it’s time to get up since the Henson’s are walking”. Besides the many accolades he received as an Exxon executive, he cherished shooting an 80 at the age of 80 and he had multiple holes in one. Burl would perform magic tricks for the neighborhood kids and also enjoyed ballroom dancing.

Burl enjoyed reading books by James Patterson. He loved country western music, the “Ed Sullivan Show”, “Lawrence Welk”, and “The King and I”. He was a member of the Emerald Bay Community Church in Bullard, TX where he served as an usher. His last year was spent at The Oxford Grand in McKinney, TX where he was well cared for and also formed some strong relationships.

Burl was married to Doris Henson, the love of his life for 61 years.

He is survived by and Burl’s legacy lives on through his three children; Deberah Henson of El Sobrante, CA; Burlinda Cousins of Haverhill, MA; and Timothy Henson of McKinney, TX; and his twelve grandchildren.

Burl was loved while he was with us here on earth and we will continue to love him through time and all eternity. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.